Recent Blog Posts
How Can I Recover Damages After a Hit-and-Run?
Getting hurt in a car accident is going to cause a serious disruption to your life no matter what. The process of recovering damages can be annoying even when the at-fault driver stops and exchanges insurance information. However, if the driver who hit you took off without stopping, you may be wondering who on earth is going to pay for all your damages.
The good news is that there are multiple ways to recover compensation after a hit-and-run crash. You may be able to pursue compensation from more than one party. A lot will depend on the circumstances of your accident, your own insurance policy, and whether it is possible to identify the driver who caused the crash. You should strongly consider getting an attorney who can help you determine the best course of action, as recovering compensation after a hit-and-run can be complex.
Ways to Recover Compensation Following a Hit-and-Run
One of the difficulties associated with pursuing a hit-and-run claim is proving what happened. When there are two damaged vehicles stopped, the police can usually determine what happened fairly easily. When only one damaged vehicle is stopped, it can be difficult to prove that the crash was in fact caused by another driver.
Proving Negligence After a Truck Accident
Accidents caused by a negligent truck driver can be devastating. Personal vehicles offer little protection to their occupants during a collision with a much larger commercial truck. If you were hit by a careless semi-truck driver, odds are your injuries are fairly severe. You are likely to require intensive medical care after such an accident, and you may have missed a great deal of work. Settlements or awards related to truck accidents tend to be on the higher end. Unfortunately, this often means that truck drivers and the companies they work for will probably try very hard to avoid paying you the compensation you need and deserve. This makes objective evidence showing what actually happened during your truck accident extremely important. Multiple types of evidence may be needed to support your case.
The attorneys at Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices are skilled at conducting complete investigations to gather evidence of a truck driver’s negligence after a crash. The sooner you call us, the better we can help you.
How to Help a Loved One in ICE Detention
When you have a family member or dear friend who is undocumented, finding out that they have been taken into ICE custody can be terrifying. Trying to get someone out of an ICE detention center is nothing at all like trying to bail someone out of the county jail after a run-of-the-mill arrest. Helping an undocumented immigrant who is in ICE custody can be complicated. It is a much more involved process than posting bail. Finding a way to help your loved one remain in the country legally can require a lot of effort. The process may be long and complex. In many cases, you will need to enlist an experienced immigration attorney to help get your loved one out of ICE detention. Any legal mistakes could be deeply problematic, so you should avoid trying to do this without skilled legal assistance.
Steps to Take When Your Loved One is in ICE Custody
Helping someone who has been taken into custody by immigration enforcement can be an exercise in patience. COVID-related backlogs may mean that it takes quite some time before you can make meaningful progress towards rescuing your loved one. Steps that may help include:
Who Should Not Pursue Alternative Divorce Methods?
Most spouses going through a divorce are able to avoid costly and time-consuming litigation through the use of methods like mediation, attorney-facilitated negotiation, or collaborative divorce. Alternative dispute resolution tends to work very well when the divorce is amicable, but it can also work for spouses who are not getting along. It is possible for spouses to settle their divorce out of court without even needing to be in the same room. These alternative routes to divorce have become popular because they can speed up the divorce process, save both parties money, and lessen the impact of any conflict for children of the marriage. However, there are times when these types of methods simply do not work. If you have any concerns about whether litigation might be necessary in your case, let your attorney know so they can plan accordingly.
3 Reasons Alternative Divorce Might Not Work for You
A lot of people are initially leery about whether an alternative path to divorce will work for them. These methods require both spouses to participate in good faith. You will need to consider whether your spouse is truly the type of person who cannot be reasoned with, or whether you are simply in conflict with them at this time. Even if there are a lot of hurt feelings involved, mediation or negotiation may still be workable options. However, your attorney may suggest that you not even attempt these methods in cases like:
Immigrant Children With Legal Status May Still Face Deportation
People from other countries have multiple different avenues for immigrating to the United States. However, the immigration process can be long and complex, and even if a person follows all of the correct procedures, they and their families may face issues that affect their legal status and their ability to stay in the United States. While many lawmakers and immigration officials have recognized that immigrant children who have grown up in the U.S. deserve protections that will allow them to avoid deportation, the options for many of these “dreamers” are limited. People in these situations can consult with an experienced immigration attorney to determine the steps they can take to continue living in the United States.
Problems Facing “Documented Dreamers”
There are many situations where immigrants come to the United States as children, and when this is the only country they have ever known, forcing them to leave the U.S. and resettle elsewhere may cause extreme hardship for them and their families. Congress has attempted to address this issue through the proposed Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, which would provide qualifying minors with a path to citizenship. While the DREAM Act has not been passed, other programs, such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), have attempted to address this issue.
Should I Pursue a Collaborative Divorce?
Divorce is never a walk in the park. However, it does not have to be the dramatic legal battle depicted in television and movies either. Alternative resolution methods offer couples the option of ending the marriage amicably, without the need for traditional litigation. If your divorce case is complex, but you and your spouse want to end your marriage cooperatively, collaborative divorce may be your best option.
The Basics of Divorce Using Collaborative Law
Collaborative divorce is a process through which a divorcing couple works together to resolve divorce issues, including property and debt division, child custody, and spousal maintenance. The spouses do not work against each other, but instead, negotiate divorce issues to reach mutually-agreeable solutions. Each spouse is represented by an attorney who provides legal guidance and advocates on behalf of his or her client during the collaborative process.
What Contributes to Pedestrian Accidents?
Pedestrians are the most vulnerable users of our transportation system. Any accident involving a pedestrian has a higher likelihood of injury. Sadly, pedestrian accidents have been on the rise in recent years, reversing a trend of steadily improving pedestrian safety. Many factors can cause pedestrian accidents, including driver behavior, unsafe infrastructure, and pedestrian behavior. If you have been injured or a loved one has been injured or killed in a pedestrian accident, it is important to be represented by lawyers who will fight to get you the compensation you deserve.
Factors that Contribute to Pedestrian Accidents
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest contributing factors of pedestrian accidents. These include but are not limited to:
- Alcohol – Alcohol-impaired drivers and pedestrians account for almost half of fatal crashes involving a car and a pedestrian. Alcohol can impair the judgment of both drivers and pedestrians and lead to severe collisions.
Forced Marriage and Immigration
Forced marriage means that one or both people have been forced into a marriage that is against their will. The United States considers forced marriage to be a serious human rights abuse and is working domestically and abroad to end the practice. Those who have been or are being forced into marriage are victims. As such, they have not broken any laws of the United States and may be eligible for immigration relief.
What is a Forced Marriage?
When an individual does not have a choice on who they marry or when the marriage takes place, that is a forced marriage. Forced marriages can be accompanied by threats of physical or emotional abuse, deception, or even threats to immigration status. It can happen in any culture and to people from any educational and economic background. In the United States, perpetrators of forced marriage may be charged with crimes including domestic violence, assault, kidnapping, child abuse if the victim is underage, rape, threats of violence, and other charges.
If I Have a Student Visa, Can I Apply for an Employment-Based Visa?
Once foreign students who are studying in the United States are nearing their graduation or the end of their visa time, they may start seeking the opportunity to become fully employed here. Also, if they have desirable skills, employers may seek them out and offer them employment. If you are a foreign national who would like to apply for an Adjustment of Status to your visa based on employment, there are certain requirements that must be met for the application to be approved. Our experienced legal team can help you and your potential employer navigate the process.
Requirements to Adjust Your Visa to Employment-Based Status
In order to be eligible to change from a student visa to work-related visa, there are many requirements that must be met. These include the following:
- You must be physically present here in the United States.
- You must be here on a legal visa, including a student visa or temporary H1B visa.
Can I Use a Joint Simplified Dissolution of Marriage for My Divorce?
Going through a divorce can be a stressful and emotional time. In addition to the lasting impact on your family life, there can be many practical decisions about finances, property, and other assets that have to be made. However, if you have very few assets and meet other qualifying factors, you may be eligible for a Joint Simplified Dissolution of Marriage under Illinois Law. This is a quicker and less costly process, but it comes with strict requirements and neither party may seek any spousal maintenance during the process or after the divorce is finalized. An experienced divorce attorney can help determine if this approach fits your situation.
Qualifications for a Joint Simplified Dissolution of Marriage
The strict qualifications for following this process are spelled out in Illinois law:
- Both spouses must be residents of the state of Illinois.
- Your marriage must not have lasted more than eight years.